A 73 year-old woman was found dead in her unheated home. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner determined the probable cause of death as hypothermia.
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Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS MKX wrote it up.
A 73 year-old woman was found dead in her unheated home. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner determined the probable cause of death as hypothermia.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Milwaukee, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 13, 11:48 PM CST, 12 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED
National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI
1148 PM CST Thu Feb 13 2020
.UPDATE...
Temperatures have dropped into the single digits below zero
across all but the lakeshore areas. Wind chill values are only a
little colder than the temps since winds are fairly light, but
any puff of wind will bring those values into more critical
levels. Thus, the Wind Chill Advisory is in effect.
&&
.AVIATION(06Z TAFS)...
VFR conditions with clear skies through Friday afternoon.
Southerly winds will begin increasing Friday evening and some high
clouds may start to stream in. Low level wind shear is a concern
for Friday night.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... (Issued 853 PM CST Thu Feb 13 2020)
UPDATE...
No change to the forecast for tonight.
MARINE...
Northerly winds and high waves will gradually weaken tonight.
Southwesterly gales will develop late Friday night and persist
through Saturday as low pressure of 29.2 inches moves from
northern Manitoba to Hudson Bay. A Gale Watch is in effect for all
of Lake Michigan. Much lighter winds will return for Sunday as
polar high pressure moves over Lake Michigan.
For the nearshore waters from Sheboygan to Winthrop Harbor, a Heavy
Freezing Spray Warning remains in effect until midnight.
PREV DISCUSSION... (Issued 606 PM CST Thu Feb 13 2020)
UPDATE...
No change to the forecast for tonight. Skies are clear, winds are
diminishing, and temperatures are dropping quickly.
AVIATION(00Z TAFS)...
VFR conditions with clear skies through Friday afternoon.
Southerly winds will begin increasing Friday evening and some high
clouds will start to stream in.
PREV DISCUSSION... (Issued 304 PM CST Thu Feb 13 2020)
SHORT TERM...
Tonight through Friday night...Forecast Confidence is High.
Nwly sfc winds will become light by early evening, while polar
high pressure over the nrn Great Plains will move to the MS River
Valley by 12Z Fri. Clear skies will prevail tnt-Fri with a good
radiational cooling setup for tnt. Thus 10 below to 15 below zero
temps still look good well inland from Lake MI with possibly 20
below zero in the WI River Valley. Sfc winds will become very
light over south central WI late tnt, with perhaps 5-10 mph of
wind toward east central and far ern WI. After coordinating with
surrounding NWS offices, will go with the Wind Chill Advisory from
8 pm tnt until 10 AM Fri. Overall ranges will be from 15 below to
25 below zero.
Swly winds and warm advection will begin Fri afternoon and
increase Fri nt as the polar high moves east and strong low
pressure tracks across srn Canada. Temps will warm through the
night.
LONG TERM...
Saturday through Sunday...Forecast Confidence is High.
A quick hitting system is expected Saturday as a front swings
through the area. There is some upper level divergence with the
jet at 250mb along with some positive vorticity advection that
will provide support for a light dusting of snow. Dry conditions
then return Saturday night and continue into Sunday. Gusty
southwest winds will help temperatures get into the mid 30s on
Saturday. Lighter winds are expected behind the front Saturday
night into Sunday.
Sunday Night through Thursday...Forecast Confidence is Medium.
Southwest flow at 850mb looks to develop Sunday night with warm
air advection over southern Wisconsin through Monday afternoon.
Additionally there will be added support at 500mb with some
positive vorticity advection Monday evening into Tuesday. With
these lifting mechanisms light snow will be possible Sunday night
into Tuesday morning and may mix or transition to rain Monday
afternoon. There still remains some uncertainty with the exact
timing and track of this system so expect a few more tweaks as we
head into next week. Dry conditions are expected for Wednesday
and Thursday as high pressure builds over the area.
AVIATION(21Z TAFS)...
VFR conditions and mostly clear skies tnt-Fri.
MARINE...
Brisk north winds and high waves will gradually weaken
into tonight. A ridge of high pressure around 30.5 inches will
move across Lake Michigan on Friday. Southwesterly gales will
then become possible late Friday night into Saturday as the high
moves away and low pressure of 29.2 inches moves from northern
Manitoba to Hudson Bay. A Gale Watch is in effect for all of Lake
Michigan. Much lighter winds will return for Sunday as polar high
pressure moves over Lake Michigan.
For the nearshore waters from Sheboygan to Winthrop Harbor, a
Small Craft Advisory remains in effect until 6 PM for lingering
high waves. A Heavy Freezing Spray Warning remains in effect until
midnight.
&&
.MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WI...Wind Chill Advisory until 10 AM CST Friday for WIZ046-047-051-
052-056>060-062>072.
LM...Gale Watch from late Friday night through Saturday afternoon for
LMZ080-261-362-364-366-563-565-567-669-671-673-675-777-779-
868-870-872-874-876-878.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning until midnight CST tonight for
LMZ643>646.
&&
Update...Cronce
Tonight/Friday and Aviation/Marine...Gehring
Friday Night through Thursday...RAHHazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI 616 PM CST Thu Feb 13 2020 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-141200- Marquette-Green Lake-Fond du Lac-Sheboygan-Sauk-Columbia-Dodge- Washington-Ozaukee-Iowa-Dane-Jefferson-Waukesha-Milwaukee- Lafayette-Green-Rock-Walworth-Racine-Kenosha- 616 PM CST Thu Feb 13 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of east central Wisconsin, south central Wisconsin and southeast Wisconsin. .DAY ONE...Tonight Wind chill values are will fall to 15 to 25 below zero late tonight and Friday morning. A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Thursday Wind chills around 20 below zero will be possible through mid morning on Friday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed. LMZ643>646-141200- Sheboygan to Port Washington WI- Port Washington to North Point Light WI- North Point Light to Wind Point WI- Wind Point WI to Winthrop Harbor IL- 616 PM CST Thu Feb 13 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the nearshore waters from Sheboygan Wisconsin to Winthrop Harbor Illinois. .DAY ONE...Tonight Northerly winds and waves will combine with much colder temperatures to result in a risk for heavy freezing spray this evening. A Heavy Freezing Spray Warning is in effect until midnight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Thursday Gusty southwest winds developing Friday night will persist into Saturday night. Some freezing spray will also be possible during this time. A Small Craft Advisory will likely be needed but gales are also possible. LMZ080-261-362-364-366-563-565-567-669-671-673-675-777-779-868- 870-872-874-876-878-141200- Lake Michigan Michigan City IN to St. Joseph MI 5 NM offshore to mid-line of lake.- Lake Michigan from Seul Choix Point to Rock Island Passage 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan South of a line from Seul Choix Point to the Mackinac Bridge and North of a line from Charlevoix MI to South Fox Island 5NM offshore- Lake Michigan from Charlevoix to Point Betsie MI 5NM Offshore to mid lake- Lake Michigan from Point Betsie to Manistee MI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Rock Island Passage to Sturgeon Bay WI 5NM offshore to mid lake- Lake Michigan from Sturgeon Bay to Two Rivers WI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Two Rivers to Sheboygan WI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Sheboygan to Port Washington WI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Port Washington to North Point Light WI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from North Point Light to Wind Point WI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Wind Point WI to Winthrop Harbor IL 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Winthrop Harbor to Wilmette Harbor IL 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Wilmette Harbor to Michigan City in 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Pentwater to Manistee MI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Whitehall to Pentwater MI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Grand Haven to Whitehall MI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Holland to Grand Haven MI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from South Haven to Holland MI 5NM offshore to Mid lake- Lake Michigan from St Joseph to South Haven MI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- 616 PM CST Thu Feb 13 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the open waters of Lake Michigan. .DAY ONE...Tonight Brisk north winds and high waves will gradually subside tonight. Freezing spray will continue. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Thursday Freezing spray will remain a concern into at least Friday morning. A Gale Watch is in effect for late Friday night and Saturday for the potential for southwesterly gales for all of Lake Michigan. Freezing spray will also become a concern during this time. MRC www.weather.gov/mkx
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
A 73 year-old woman was found dead in her unheated home. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner determined the probable cause of death as hypothermia.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold/Wind Chill, Milwaukee | 2020-02-14 | 73 | Female | Permanent Home | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, February 2020
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 869338.